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The Two-Way
6:38 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Nadal Wins Record Seventh French Open

Credit Bernat Armangue / AP
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning the French Open earlier today.

Rafael Nadal today won his record seventh French Open tennis title.

His 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 win over Novak Djokovic had been delayed a day, when rain forced suspension of play on Sunday.

Nadal, from Spain, had shared the record of 6 French titles with Sweden's Bjorn Borg. He's now won 11 Grand Slam titles (the French, U.S., Australian and British opens).

Djokovic, a Serbian, had been trying to win his fourth straight major title.

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The Two-Way
6:24 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Egad! British Prime Minister Left 8-Year-Old Daughter Behind In Pub

Credit Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
British Prime Minister David Cameron in London last month.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 4:41 am

Dad thought she was with mum. Mum thought she was with dad. But 8-year-old Nancy wasn't with either of them.

Instead, she was left behind at a pub in Buckinghamshire, England. It was about 15 minutes before the mistake was realized and the little girl was reunited with her parents.

Oh, yeah, about her parents: They are British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha.

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The Two-Way
5:51 am
Mon June 11, 2012

'Relief Rally' Weakens As Markets Study Spanish Deal

Originally published on Mon June 11, 2012 11:07 am

  • NPR's Philip Reeves, reporting on 'Morning Edition'

After rising sharply earlier today, European financial markets have come off their highs as investors "question the logistics of the $125 billion bailout of Spanish banks and wonder ... whether Monday's gains in financial markets were nothing but a relief rally," Dow Jones Newswires reports.

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The Two-Way
5:27 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Commerce Secretary Cited For Hit-And-Run After Car Crashes

Credit Rajanish Kakade / AP
Commerce Secretary John Bryson in March, during a visit to Mumbai, India.

Originally published on Mon June 11, 2012 8:36 pm

Commerce Secretary John Bryson suffered an apparent "seizure" before a series of car crashes on Saturday in Los Angeles, a department spokesman says, according to an Associated Press "alert" issued just after 9:30 a.m. ET today.

As we reported earlier, Bryson was involved in three seemingly fender benders that did little damage and left those involved with only minor injuries — but led police to cite him for "felony hit-and-run."

Update at 10:26 p.m. ET. Bryson To Take Medical Leave:

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World
4:54 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Syrian Rebels Bring Fight To Capital

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:11 am

The fighting in Syria escalated again on Monday as the Syrian army pounded the central cities of Homs and Hama, two places that have been the scene of repeated clashes.

U.N. monitors confirmed mortar fire, heavy artillery and machine gun fire in the assaults. A live streaming video from Homs showed billowing smoke from explosions and the rattle of gunfire.

Activists in Homs say more than 50 people have died, and they called for immediate assistance for the scores of wounded who, they say, are being treated by paramedic and medial students.

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Around the Nation
4:39 am
Mon June 11, 2012

A Comeback For Downtown Cleveland

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:11 am

Almost 11 years ago, Phil Alexander opened his company, BrandMuscle, in the affluent Cleveland suburb of Beachwood.

The company sells marketing software to corporate clients worldwide, and its offices have a lean, energetic vibe, with 20-somethings tossing around ideas in multiscreened meeting rooms or a comfortable coffee bar.

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Revolutionary Road Trip
2:44 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Looking To The Future, Libya Erases Part Of Its Past

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:11 am

NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep is taking a Revolutionary Road Trip across North Africa to see how the countries that staged revolutions last year are remaking themselves. Steve and his team are traveling some 2,000 miles from Tunisia's ancient city of Carthage, across the deserts of Libya and on to Egypt's megacity of Cairo. In his first story from Libya, he looks at what has changed in a country that was dominated for decades by one man.

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Middle East
2:42 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Court's Ruling May Force Africans To Leave Israel

Credit JIim Hollander / EPA/Landov
African migrants line up to receive a free hot meal provided by a group of Israelis called Soup Levinsky in Levinsky Park in Tel Aviv on Sunday. A court in Jerusalem ruled that Israel could deport South Sudanese nationals back to their home country.

Originally published on Sun June 17, 2012 7:00 am

An Israeli court last week upheld a government plan to deport all South Sudanese residents now living in the country, a move that comes amid a wider government crackdown on the 60,000 African nationals who've entered Israel illegally over the past few years.

Human rights groups have objected to Israel's handling of the Africans, saying the government does not do enough to differentiate between economic migrants and genuine asylum-seekers.

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Planet Money
2:39 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Three Ways To Stop A Bank Run

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images
This is what you don't want.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:11 am

There's a slow-motion bank run happening in Europe, as depositors move their money from financially troubled countries like Greece and Spain to stronger countries like Germany.

Banks take depositors' money and lend it out. So even a strong bank is in trouble if all the depositors suddenly decide to pull their money out. A full-blown run can sink a bank in an afternoon.

Once a run starts, there are basically three ways to stop it.

1. Slow it down

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Asia
2:37 am
Mon June 11, 2012

In India, A Different Kind Of Austerity

Credit Sajjad Hussain / AFP/Getty Images
Facing economic woes, India is looking to trim spending - but cutting government services is extremely unpopular. Instead, politicians are targeting foreign travel and meetings at lavish hotels like the Oberoi in Mumbai.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 5:44 pm

In Europe, the concept of austerity has meant deep, painful cuts to government spending. In India, however, austerity looks a little different.

India's government has started by reeling in departmental spending on things like hotel space and foreign travel. It may seem like window dressing, but it can be difficult to make deep spending cuts in that country. Many voters see government largesse as a right and usually applaud pork-barrel spending.

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Monkey See
2:36 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Picturing Tunisia: A Favorite Hollywood Location Through A Different Lens

Originally published on Mon June 11, 2012 4:48 am

Here's a movie scene burned into my brain: Harrison Ford, playing Indiana Jones, is on a chase through the streets of Cairo. It's in the original movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I saw as a kid. Today I couldn't tell you who was chasing whom or why, but I remember the climax. Jones is pushing through a mass of people when the crowd abruptly parts. He's confronted by a swordsman, who flips his giant scimitar around both artfully and menacingly.

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Judging The Health Care Law
2:34 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Health Care Decision Hinges On A Crucial Clause

Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
For more than 200 years, the Supreme Court has interpreted the meaning of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Its latest test is the case challenging the Obama health care law.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:12 am

All of Washington is breathlessly awaiting the Supreme Court's imminent decision on the Obama health care overhaul. Rumors circulate almost daily that the decision is ready for release. As usual, those rumors are perpetrated by people who know nothing, but the decision is expected by the end of this month.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:34 am
Mon June 11, 2012

Doctors Deploy Shots And Drugs Against Whooping Cough Outbreak

Credit Ted S. Warren / AP
A nurse in Washington administers the whooping cough vaccine to a child in May. In response to the epidemic, more than 82,000 adults have also received the vaccine this year.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 5:45 pm

A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from my son's middle school alerting families that several students had been diagnosed with whooping cough, also called pertussis. I didn't pay too much attention; my son has been vaccinated and he got a booster shot a couple of years ago so I hoped he would be protected.

Then I started to cough.

A visit to my doctor and a pertussis test confirmed that I am one of the 338 people infected with it in Oregon this year. That's three times higher than last year.

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Dead Stop
2:33 am
Mon June 11, 2012

'Bill W.' Day Celebrates Alcoholics Anonymous Hero

Credit Steve Zind / NPR
Visitors to Bill Wilson's grave in Vermont often leave sobriety chips atop his headstone, marking how long they have been continuously sober.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 5:45 pm

Alcoholics Anonymous has long been known for the anonymity of its members. But there are two key figures in AA's history whose names are well known.

One is co-founder Bill Wilson, known as "Bill W." Beginning in the 1930s, Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith began helping other alcoholics in order to maintain their own sobriety.

Wilson's simple grave in Vermont makes no mention of his work. That doesn't stop people from visiting it, especially on this annual Bill W. Day. But people seek out Wilson's grave in a small cemetery near his birthplace in East Dorset, Vt., all year long.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:31 am
Mon June 11, 2012

To Sniff Out Childhood Allergies, Researchers Head To The Farm

Credit iStockphoto.com
Contact with animals and dirty environments may be one reason farm kids are less likely to get allergies, researchers say.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:11 am

Allergies are on the rise these days, especially in children. Nearly half of all kids are now allergic to something, be it food, animals, or plants. Federal health officials say that rate is two to five times higher than it was 30 years ago.

And as researchers are trying to understand why, they're increasingly looking at kids who grow up on farms.

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Music Interviews
12:03 am
Mon June 11, 2012

The Tallest Man On Earth: Tired Of Running

Credit Courtesy of the artist
There's No Leaving Now, Kristian Matsson's newest album as The Tallest Man on Earth, comes out Tuesday.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 9:11 am

Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson performs as The Tallest Man on Earth. That's just his stage name, though: Matsson himself stands at about 5 feet 7. His new album, There's No Leaving Now, comes out Tuesday.

Matsson has been praised as a poet, and is frequently compared to Bob Dylan. He often sings about nature, inspired by the scenery near his home in Falun, Sweden.

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Politics
3:05 pm
Sun June 10, 2012

Future Of Health Care Law Hangs In Balance

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 4:01 pm

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

It's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz.

At some point this month, maybe next week, maybe even tomorrow, the Supreme Court will decide whether all or parts of the Affordable Care Act, the health care law backed by the White House, is constitutional or not. And for that reason, a man in Oregon named Rocky King isn't sleeping very well. Have you slept in the past two years?

ROCKY KING: Three times.

RAZ: Three times in the past two years.

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Interviews
3:05 pm
Sun June 10, 2012

Assessing Obama's Team Of Rivals

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 4:01 pm

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

It's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz.

Back in 2008, shortly before Barack Obama became President Obama, he told a reporter that an Obama Cabinet would be a team of rivals, smart people with different viewpoints who would, in Mr. Obama's words, push him out of his comfort zone.

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Interviews
3:05 pm
Sun June 10, 2012

Bond Donned A Suit, A Stylish Suit

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 4:01 pm

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

And if you're just joining us, you're listening to WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz. Fifty years ago, a film franchise ushered in a new era of action, adventure, and of course, style.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RAZ: James Bond. Men wanted to look like him, and women also wanted men to look like him.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DR. NO")

SEAN CONNERY: (as James Bond) Am I properly dressed for the occasion?

YVONNE SHIMA: (as Sister Lily) Quite suitable.

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Europe
1:19 pm
Sun June 10, 2012

An Olympic Task: Finding Good Food At The 2012 Games

Credit Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Vendors will serve 14 million meals during the Olympics, and critics are already panning the menu.

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 5:43 pm

When the 2012 Summer Olympics begin in July, a culinary starting gun will go off: Fourteen million meals will be prepared for spectators and athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic games in London.

The criticism is already pouring in.

Jacquelin Magnay, the Olympics editor at The Daily Telegraph wrote a recent article calling the food to be sold at Olympic venues "bland and over-priced." In response, an Olympic caterer sent her a custom bento box of gourmet delicacies.

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Music Interviews
10:03 am
Sun June 10, 2012

Fiona Apple: 'I Don't Really Have A Plan'

Originally published on Tue June 12, 2012 5:43 pm

It's been seven years since Fiona Apple has released a new album. The singer-songwriter, who broke out in 1996 with Tidal, says the delay is a quirk of her creative process.

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NPR Story
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

Pakistan Faces New Challenges Under Rising Tensions

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

Just when it seemed that the fractious between the U.S. and its ally Pakistan couldn't get worse, they have. Calls on Capitol Hill to scale back aid to Pakistan are getting louder. And in the last couple of days, Pakistani officials have derided comments by U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta who, on a recent trip to Kabul, said the U.S. was, quote, "reaching the limits of its patience with Pakistan."

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World
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

What's The Role Of U.S. Aid In Pakistan

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Senator John Kerry is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And he is a key U.S. liaison to Pakistan. We asked him how relations stand between the two countries.

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World
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

India Keeping Close Eye on Neighboring Pakistan

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now, let's turn to how the country sees its own neighbors, Afghanistan and India in particular. This past week, we asked people in the streets of Islamabad whether those two relationships, or the one with the United States is more important.

NISAR SHAH: (Through Translator) I think at this time the most important thing for Pakistan is to make peace with India and other countries in the region. Borders should be opened, economy should be strengthened, and we should get rid of arms race.

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Europe
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

What's Next For Spain's Bailout Plan?

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

Europeans woke up this morning with a couple of big fundamental questions looming over them. Have they saved Spain? And if not, is the eurozone heading for collapse? After weeks of denial, the Spanish government finally admitted what pretty much everyone else already knew: The country's banks need a bailout. The Spanish haven't said how much they need. But eurozone finance ministers had a long conference call yesterday and agreed they'd lend Spain up to $125 billion.

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Sports
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

Sports Roundup: A Hot Night For Devils, Heat

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIFE IS A BALLGAME")

SISTER WINONA CARR: Life is a ball game being played each day...

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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Around the Nation
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

New Farm Bill Has Its Share Of Complications

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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Sports
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

After The Games, It's Time For British Grub

For visitors and athletes from around the world who will be staying in London this summer for the 2012 Olympic Games, they might be wondering what they're going to eat.

Around the Nation
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

What To Expect In The Sandusky Trial

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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Digital Life
5:27 am
Sun June 10, 2012

Internet Addresses Get More Space With New Protocol

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 1:50 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It's a little early in the program for a puzzle, but here's a trivia question for you: How much is an undecillion?

STEPHEN SHANKLAND: The number one followed by 36 zeroes. It's an awfully large number. It's also a trillion trillion trillion.

MARTIN: That's Stephen Shankland of the tech media website C-Net. He's been contemplating those kinds of numbers since the launch this past week of something called IPv6. It's the next generation Internet protocol. Shankland spoke to us via Skype.

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